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Discover Financial Services to Launch Innovation Program This Coming Fall at Northern Illinois University

RIVERWOODS, Ill. & DEKALB, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Discover Financial Services and Northern Illinois University are
announcing the launch of an exciting program that will provide
tech-savvy students with opportunities right in the heart of the
university’s campus to help research and develop new technologies for
the company.

The initiative, dubbed the Discover Campus Innovator Program, will kick
off this coming fall in a newly renovated, 5,900-square-foot area of “71
North,” the university’s collaborative space for innovation centrally
located on campus in the bottom level of Founders Memorial Library.
Discover and NIU have entered into an agreement, whereby the company
will lease and renovate the space.

Students selected for the Discover Campus Innovator Program will be paid
to work on and help develop new Discover technologies in the areas of
mobile-software development, web-application coding, and
person-to-person payment systems. They also will be able to present
their work and ideas to peers and company representatives, providing
them with an opportunity to experience Discover’s company culture. The
company recruited students for the program earlier this spring.

“Discover has a long-standing tradition of promoting education and
developing products and services that help our customers better manage
their finances,” said Glenn Schneider, chief information officer at
Discover and an NIU alumnus. “What better way to accomplish both than to
collaborate with the diverse and talented students at Northern Illinois
University to improve the customer experience while supporting education
in the Chicagoland area.”

Discover is a leading direct banking and payment services company with
one of the most recognized brands in U.S. financial services. Since its
inception in 1986, the company has become one of the nation’s largest
card issuers.

“We envisioned 71 North as a place for hands-on learning and
collaborations with businesses,” NIU Acting President Lisa Freeman said.
“Discover provides a great anchor to this space—and we couldn’t be more
thrilled for our students about this unique on-campus program. It will
provide valuable learning experiences that will help students find
employment once they graduate, and the project also serves as a terrific
example of successful alumni coming back to engage our students.”

Discover is a leading employer of NIU alumni, and Schneider and fellow
NIU alumnus Joel Suchomel, vice president of application development at
Discover, helped spearhead the initiative.

Suchomel first proposed the program during a visit to campus to speak
with students in computer science, one of NIU’s academic programs that
stands to benefit. Since the fall of 2012, NIU’s undergraduate
enrollment in computer science has surged by more than 50 percent.

“We are looking for students with a passion for exploring new ideas,
collaborating and problem solving in agile teams, designing new
solutions and developing innovative applications,” Suchomel said. “More
importantly, we’re looking for students who live our values, empower and
support each other, and are committed to building tools that will
ultimately improve the lives of our customers.”

Karinne Bredberg, assistant director for commercialization and
innovation in the Division of Research and Innovation Partnerships
(RIPS), shepherded NIU’s effort to secure the Discover Campus Innovator
Program. While the concept originated with the Department of Computer
Science, Chair Nicholas Karonis and Acting Provost Christopher McCord
recognized an even bigger opportunity, she said.

“This collaboration represents an incredible opportunity for NIU
students to take advantage of employment with a premier company,”
Bredberg said. “Our students will work alongside leading professionals,
apply skills learned in the classroom to address real-world business
challenges and learn what it’s like to innovate within a corporate
setting.

“Additionally, we hope Discover’s presence helps NIU attract other
business and entrepreneurial partners to this collaborative space, where
they can engage with our top students.”

This fall’s Discover Campus Innovator Program is expected to include 40
to 50 juniors and seniors who have a minimum 3.0 GPA and are developing
expertise in such areas as computer science, computer engineering,
telecommunications, networking, informatics, information security and
operations management, and information systems. Discover will hire or
rehire students for a new round of participants and projects each
semester.

About NIU

Northern Illinois University is a student-centered, nationally
recognized public research university, with expertise that benefits its
region and spans the globe in a wide variety of fields, including the
sciences, humanities, arts, business, engineering, education, health and
law. Through its main campus in DeKalb, Illinois, and education centers
for students and working professionals in Chicago, Hoffman Estates,
Naperville, Oregon and Rockford, NIU offers more than 100 courses of
study while serving a diverse and international student body.

About Discover

Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) is a direct banking and payment
services company with one of the most recognized brands in U.S.
financial services. Since its inception in 1986, the company has become
one of the largest card issuers in the United States. The company issues
the Discover card, America's cash rewards pioneer, and offers private
student loans, personal loans, home equity loans, checking and savings
accounts and certificates of deposit through its direct banking
business. It operates the Discover Global Network comprised of Discover
Network, with millions of merchant and cash access locations; PULSE, one
of the nation's leading ATM/debit networks; and Diners Club
International, a global payments network with acceptance in 190
countries and territories. For more information, visit www.discover.com/company.